Wheel mounting



Aug. 20, 1935.

G. M: BARNES WHEEL MOUNTING Filed Feb 28, 1934 Invent nr' 7 Bla'denn Mfiarnes Patented Aug. 20, 1935 WHEEL MQUNTING Gladeon M. Barnes, United States Army, I Hastings, Mich.

Application February 28, 1934., Serial No. 713,356

4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a wheel mounting.

In heavy vehicles of the track-laying type it has been customary to place each of the wheels on the end of an arm which is pivotally mounted on the body of the vehicle and acts against a suspension spring. Lateral forces acting on the wheel as in turning at high speed or in going over obstacles subject the arm to both bending and torsion. Even when the wheel arm is heavy and of great strength it has twisted as much as fourteen degrees.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wheel mounting in which a relatively light arm is held against twisting and in which the shaft forming the pivot of the arm is held against bending.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved wheel mounting, the outer hull being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the arm.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the arm.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view through the guide of the arm.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown a portion of the body of a vehicle having an inner hull 5 and an outer hull 6 spaced therefrom.

An arm 1, preferably hollow and conveniently formed of welded plates, is disposed between the hulls 5 and 6. It is provided adjacent one of its ends with a pair of hollow trunnions 8-8 mounted in bushings 9-9 fitted in bearing sleeves l0 and I! secured respectively to the inner and outer hulls. The trunnions are additionally supported through anti-friction bearings I2|2 on a shaft I3 carried by the body of the vehicle. Where this shaft is a driving member, as in the illustratioirit carries a sprocket'wheel M between the bearings l2-I2.

The outer end of the arm l is provided with bearing sleeves iii-45 in which are fitted anti friction bearingunits |6-l6 that support a spin-5 5 die i'l carrying a wheel E8. The wheel ..I8-.is adapted to run on a self-laying track or on a road. Where the wheel is also to serveas a. driving wheel its spindle is provided. with a sprocket wheel i9 spacing the bearingunits I6. 10 A drive chain 28 connects the sprocket wheels and I9. 1

The inner hull 5 is provided with a channel 2| and the outer hull 6 is provided with a complementary slot 22 to accommodate the bearing sleeves i5 during movement of the arm I.

The free end of the hollow arm is closed by a. plate 23 secured by bolts 24. A narrow guide'25 on the outer side of the plate is formed on an arc with the axis of trunnions 8 as a center and includes bronze strips 26 secured to its sides as by the screws 21.

An arcuate plate 28 disposed between the hulls and rigidly secured thereto has a channel '29 with spaced sides 3B3il constituting a guideway for receiving the guide 25. The guide and guideway have sufiicient strength to carry the twisting load and to support the arm 1 in cases where the wheel is subjected to a lateral force as in turning at high speed or in encountering an obstruction. 30 There is a slight clearance between the guide and guideway so that the arm 1 will carry some of the load before it comes into contact with the guideway.

By virtue of this arrangement the arm I may be of light weight as it is only subjected to bending without torsion. It is protected against lateral blows by means of the hulls 5 and 6.

The trunnioning of the arm I in the outer and inner hulls gives additional support both to the arm 1 and the shaft 1 3. Where the wheel is to be driven by chain and sprockets carried by the arm, the maintenance of the shaft I3 and spindle IT in parallel relation will insiue alignment of the chain and sprockets.

The pivoted end of the arm 1 includes a short arm 3| which is attached to a resilient suspension unit 32 which forms the subject of a separate application Serial No. 713,357 filed February 28, 1934.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle, a body including an inner hull and an outer hull spaced therefrom, aligned bearing sleeves in the hulls, an arm disposed between the hulls, hollow trunnions on the arm ad- 5 v j acent one end and mounted in the bearing sleeves of the hulls, a shaft carried by the body and extending through the hollow trunnions, anti-friction bearing units between the shaft and trun- 5 nions, a sprocket wheel carried by the shaft between-the anti-friction bearing units, aligned bearing sleevesnonrthe arm adjacent its free end, a spindle extending through said sleeves',' antifriction bearing units between the spindle and sleeves, a sprocket wheel carried by the spindle between the anti-friction bearing units, a chain trained about the sprocket wheels, a wheel on the outer end of the spindle, a guide on-t-he-freeend 7 of the arm,- and a guideway carried by the hulls and receiving the guide .on:the, arm.

7 2. In a vehicle, a body including an inner hull and an outer hull spaced therefrom, aligned hearing sleeves in the hulls, an arm disposed between one end and mounted in the bearing sleeves of the hulls, a shaft carried by thebodyand extending through the hollow trunnions, anti friction-bear- -1ng unitsbetween the shaft and trunnions, aligned -a spindle "extending 'through- 'saidsleeves, an-tifriction "bearing units between the -spindleand sleeves;-a"wheel on'the outer"end of the spindle, a*-guideon-'the*free--end of the -arm,-and a guideway'carriedby the hulls and-receiving the guide ".bri'the arm.

the hulls, hollow trunnions onithe adjacent 3'. In a vehicle, a body including spaced supporting members, aligned bearing sleeves in the supporting members, an arm disposed between V the supporting members, hollow trunnions on the arm adjacent one end and mounted in the bearing sleeves of said members, a shaft carried by thebody and extendingthrough-the hollow trunnionsyasprocket wheel on said'shaft, a spindle carried by the free end of the arm, a sprocket "wheel on the spindle, a chain trained about the sprocket wheels, a wheel on the spindle, a guide on the free end of the arm and a guideway carried'by the supporting members and receiving the guide on the arm. 7

4. In a vehicle, a body including spaced supporting members, aligned bearing sleeves in the supporting members, an arm disposed between the supporting members, hollow trunnlons on the -arm adjacent one end. and mounted in the bearing sleeves'of said members, a shaft carried by:

' GLADEON MJBARNESZ 

